Midnight Movie House

My Oscar Predictions

No, not who will win. You've all read that in countless articles already. Besides, I tend to have a gift for routing for people who don't win so I don't want to inadvertently curse someone. By my predictions, I mean what colossal blunders Joan Rivers will hit the stars with when she corners them on the red carpet. Val Kilmer has had my respect ever since he was asked what the highlight of the Oscars was for him and he responded with "avoiding Joan Rivers." Here we go...

**Also, spoiler space about Mystic River for my Tim Robbins entry, so PLEASE don't read that if you haven't seen Mystic River and don't want to know anything about the ending. I HATE when people spoil movies for me so I don't want to do that to you. Now, for real, here we go. . .

To Johnny Depp: "So tell me, how thrilled are you to be nominated for a foreign film in the best actor category?" (Either because he lives in France or because she thinks Caribbean being in the title means Pirates of the Caribbean is a little Jamaican film. Take you pick).

To Bill Murray: "So what made you come here tonight?" (Because she always asks that of someone who is nominated and since I think Bill is highly, HIGHLY undervalued I gave him the honor this year).

To Ben Kingsley: "Now Ben, it must be phenomenal to star in a movie about being a king." (Either because she thinks his last name means he's in "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" OR because he's been knighted as Sir and she thinks that means he and Queen Victoria are REALLY close now).

To Sean Penn: "So tell me, how is Madonna these days?" (Either because she's clueless or because he's now married to Robin Wright Penn whose blonde too and she hasn't noticed that it isn't Madonna yet).

To Jude Law: "Now, now Jude, where is that lovely wife Sadie? And how is Dame Judy?" (1: Nasty divorce, don't ask ANYTHING about Jude's marriage. Dame Jude Dench. . . Jude Law. I think you get the confusion).

To Charlize Theron: "Oh Charlize, what made you star in a horror film?" (Title is Monster so I don't think I need to elaborate).

To Diane Keaton: Something inappropriate about Jack Nicholson's body. I don't even want to think about it to elaborate. She always asks some inappropriate question that makes an actor uncomfortable.

To Naomi Watts: "Oh how nice to see you Renee!" (Did I mention she is bad with people's identities)? ;)

To Samantha Morton: *dead silence* "So, who designed your dress?" (I'm getting Joan isn't big on the indie loop).

To Keisha Castle-Hughes: "So what was it like to star with Viggo Mortenson." (Keisha's from New Zealand, Lord of the Rings was filmed there, Viggo was in Lord of the Rings).

To Tim Robbins: "So what was it like playing such a bad guy." (She's gotta spoil the ending of some movie).

To Benicio Del Toro: "Now Benicio, why is it you are so attracted to drug movies?"
(He was in Traffic and lots of people think 21 Grams is a drug reference).

To Ken Watanabe: *first she's gotta butcher his name* Then, "So tell me all about Tom Cruise." (Thus, completely, cluelessly pushing Ken's accomplishment aside).

To Djimon Hounsou: *dead silence* "So, who designed your tux?" (see Samantha Morton entry)

To Alec Baldwin: "So, how was it acting opposite your brother William (Baldwin)?"
(William H. Macy is in The Cooler)

To Renee Zellweger: *she'll elaborate on mistaking Naomi for Renee causing a second uncomfortable moment about the event*

To Holly Hunter: "Well, you're stunning, but how did you pass for 13?"
(Holly's up for the movie Thirteen playing the MOM of a 13 year old).

To Marcia Gay Harden: *thinking it came out this year* "So did you expect Pollack to be such a huge hit?"
(Marcia won for Pollack in 2001).

To Shohreh Aghdashloo: God help us all if she tries this name. "It must be so nice to see your country recently liberated from Saddam."
(Shohreh is from Tehran).

To Patricia Clarkson: "Great performance! Now does this mean you'll be making an appearance on Dawson's Creek with your costar Katie Holmes?"
(Dawson's was canceled a while back).

To Peter Jackson: "So what was it like directing John Astin?"
(SEAN Astin was in Lord of the Rings while JOHN Astin was Gomez Addams of The Addams Family tv show).

To Sofia Coppola: "So when will we get to see you act again?"
(Sofia was ridiculed for her role in Godfather 3 and has made it clear she never wanted to act to begin with).

To Clint Eastwood: *just insert your own obnoxious gushing & insinuations of being close friends here*

To Fernando Meirelles: "I am just so curious to ask you this. Why do you think Mel Gibson's film is getting so much religious criticism and your film has managed to avoid it?"
(Fernando is up for City of God which is about the slums of Rio de Janeiro).

To Peter Weir: "What was it like to direct a movie based on a fellow actor's books?"
(Peter is up for Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World which was based on Patrick O'Brian. Joan could be thinking Patrick Stewart, Sean Patrick Flanery, Patrick Dempsey, lord knows).

Independent Spirit Awards

Here's an article on the Independent Spirit Awards. I'll always opt for an independent film over a big studio production so I have to congratulate all the nominees and winners here!

CNN.com - 'Lost' finds fans at indie awards - Feb. 29, 2004

Mouf Mouf The Vacuum

Here's an interesting article from CNN about the music from the animated film The Triplets of Belleville.

CNN.com - Getting to know 'Triplets of Belleville' - Feb. 29, 2004

The Horror Channel

I am so excited about this. I have wished for a horror television channel for years and years. It looks like we will finally have one in October of this year. Click here to read more!

The Horror Channel > Home

Interview with Jim Caviezel

I'm putting together links for a link section that I will soon add to this site. In doing so, I stumbled across this interview with Jim Caviezel who plays Jesus in The Passion Of The Christ.

Moviehole.net - Interview : Jim Caviezel

Some Good Oscar Stuff

Click on this link for a lot of coverage on people nominated in this year's Oscar race. There is a lot of information here so it's definitely worth checking out!

IFILM - Because You Like to Watch

The Passion Of The Christ

I just saw this. Wow! No matter what your faith, this is an absolute must see. Amazing movie! Congrats to Mel Gibson for this!! At the very least, he deserves that. It's late and I've been up and running all day, taken a test in class, and done homework so I'm going to post an actual review tomorrow. For now, I need to rest. I just had to post to say to see this. Oh, and be prepared for lines. The theater I went to had already sold out tomorrow's 1:30pm showing by 9pm tonight.

Oh, and we were filmed before the show for the local CNN edition. Of course, I won't see this if we're actually on because here they run filler stories instead of the local edition. Oh well!

HE'S GONE!!! HE'S SO, SOO GONE!!!!

You'll have to excuse my enthusiasm, but I've been in a state of sheer happiness ever since Survivor last night. I have waited patiently since the first season to see that slimy, arrogant jerk Richard Hatch get what he deserves. Finally, I have! Forget the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake moment, I'm going out to buy Tivo just so I can replay Hatch getting his just rewards OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Here's what TV Guide had to say today and I couldn't agree more. Man, was that ever a sweet moment. . . *Kathy drifts off into a daydream state to relive it once more*

Survivor All-Stars
Ding-dong, the Rich is dead. Which old Rich? The wicked Rich. Ding-dong, the wicked Rich is dead! Can you tell I'm more than a bit happy to see the arrogant weeniemeister be the first person evicted after the merge? Mogo Mogo may have to live off Ethan's one-fish-a-day catch from now on. But they are still so better off without Rich. Shoot. I'd rather survive off cowboy Colby's sexy looks than live with that naked rat king. Ding-dong, the merry-oh. Sing it high. Sing it low. Ding-dong, the wicked Rich is dead!

Woman Dies During Passion

This is from today's IMDB.com news. What the article fails to mention are the rumors of the woman's long history of heart problems. I'm thinking those, and not a movie, had more to do with her heart attack.

Woman Dies of Heart Attack During 'The Passion'
Mel Gibson's new film The Passion Of The Christ caused more controversy on Wednesday when a woman suffered a fatal heart- attack during the graphic crucifixion scene. The story of the last twelve hours of Jesus Christ's life has been criticized for alleged Anti-Semitism in the months leading up to its release in America yesterday - but the film's gory conclusion has become the focus following the tragic incident in Wichita, Kansas. Peggy Scott, a 56-year-old advertising sales manager, suffered the seizure during the 25-minute scene in which Jesus, played by James Caviezel, gets nailed to the cross. She died before reaching hospital. Ashleigh Murray, a local TV reporter, described the incident, "She had a seizure during the crucifixion scene, which is very graphic. She was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead. I do not know if she had deep religious convictions, but she must have felt something to have been at the theatre at 9:30am to watch this movie."

From Monster To Aeon Flux?

From TV Guide online today. . .

KILLER INSTINCT: Fresh from her serial-killing spree in Monster, Charlize Theron is in talks to play a futuristic (and, thankfully, good-looking) assassin in a film based on MTV's animated series Aeon Flux.

Reviews of Passion

Here is a CNN article that talks about the reviews The Passion of The Christ is getting. It quotes several of them so I thought it was worth a read.

CNN.com - What the critics are saying - Feb. 26, 2004

Sofia Coppola

I have yet to see Lost In Translation because it never came to the theater by me. I have, however, seen Sofia's brilliant The Virgin Suicides and highly recommend it. I'm glad to see she has another great movie on her hands. I'm especially glad to see it's a hit with Bill Murray because I am a longtime fan of his! Here is an article from CNN on Sofia.

CNN.com - Daughter of movie legend finds own way - Feb. 26, 2004

Review By PEZ

One of my newsgroup buddies had this to say about The Passion Of The Christ. . .

>  Quoting "Paul Edward Zukowski (PEZ)"
>
> > go see it
> > plan on drinking after
> > it's intense

. . . Short and to the point. I like it. Thanks for the advice PEZ!

Congrats To Lord Of The Rings!

Personally, I credit Gollum with a lot of it. Then again, he's always been my favorite. For proof, just look on my living room wall. Precious! :)

CNN.com - 'Rings' hits $1 billion box office mark - Feb. 23, 2004

The Passion Of The Christ

As I'm watching ABC tonight I see on their ad for the 10pm news. It seems that their story relating to this film is that a woman had a heart attack and died while watching it. In other words, we can see where their initial bias is. For Christs sake--pun intended--do you honestly think that's the ONLY movie that a person has had a heart attack and died during?! I doubt it, but then again it makes GREAT copy. Here's an entirely different story from CNN.

CNN.com - Gibson's 'Passion' debuts worldwide - Feb. 25, 2004

Caviezel as Jesus

CNN is running an article on Jim Caviezel who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's new film The Passion of The Christ. Here is a link to it. . .

CNN.com - The man who plays Jesus - Feb. 25, 2004

Congratulations!

I want to send a shout out to my Professor Matt Swan. It seems that Professor Swan has qualified for the semi-finals of the new edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. . . Super Millionaire! Good luck Professor Swan!

Wolf Interviews A Star

CNN's Wolf Blitzer recently did an interview with Darren Star the creator of Sex & The City. I have to admit that I didn't have much hope for the show--when I heard it was created by Star--because I knew him as the creator of Melrose Place which wasn't exactly Shakespeare. Thankfully, I was wrong. Here is a link to the interview with Star.

CNN.com - How 'Sex' changed the face of TV - Feb. 22, 2004

Jean Rouch

Here's an article about the tragic loss of film director Jean Rouch. He is a name you might not recognize, but a very important name to film.

CNN.com - French filmmaker killed in car crash - Feb. 19, 2004

My god, he has a first name!

Okay, the most important development of last Sunday's Alias involved a simple first name. I read an interview a long time ago where David Anders, who plays Mr. Sark, joked that the only thing he wanted for his character was a first name. He said that on the set Victor Garber, who brilliantly plays Jack Bristow, had jokingly given Mr. Sark the first name Steve and ran around the set calling him that. Last Sunday, Mr. Sark became *insert drum roll* Julian Sark. The way the show did this was brilliant! They had Sark and Tarantino's McKenas Cole character arguing and in the midst of the arguement McKenas says "Oh Julian, don't . . ." as a way of naming Mr. Sark. Those who know the background story, or at least just me, loved the sort of tongue-in-cheek way it was done. You could tell Tarantino and Anders had fun with it. As usual, it was a great episode, but having that back story for the name reveal made it even more fun.

Cold Case--What a great episode!

I have to say that one of the best news shows recently is Cold Case. I've missed a lot of episodes because of football delaying it so that it would interfere with Alias, but the ones I have caught have always been good. This past Sunday was one of the best. The show did an episode inspired by the case of The Boy In The Box. I tried to find a website that showed pictures of the boy after the police had dressed him in clothing in hopes that doing so would aid in identifying the boy, but I wasn't able to. Unfortunately, those efforts didn't lead to an identification and he has never been recognized and claimed. I thought Cold Case came up with a great storyline to explain why this didn't happen with their boy in the box. To read more about the case I highly recommend www.crimelibrary.com. For any crime story, they're usually a great site to find information. Also, the link I have provided for them will take you to more information about The Boy In The Box as well as the Vidocq Society which is a wonderful organization.

The End of Sex

Okay, after Sunday there won't be so many posts about this show. I swear! Until then, here's an article from CNN today. As for the guys, Carrie was an idiot to let Aidan get away, but it's good she did because she's too flighty for a guy like him. Like I said, she and Big deserve each other. I also really hope that Samantha stays with Smith. I really like those two together.

CNN.com - The end of 'Sex' - Feb. 20, 2004

Check out HBO's website

Due to the series ending, it seems that every time you turn around there is something new to read about Sex & The City. I went to HBO'S site and they have a lot on it right now that you might want to check out.

Capturing The Friedmans

I've read a lot of great reviews about this documentary. I plan to check it out soon. In the meantime, this was posted today on The Internet Movie Database.

Friedman Victims Ask Oscar Voters To Shun Documentary
Two men who were among 13 persons who accused Jesse Friedman of sexually molesting them as boys have written an open letter to Oscars voters, asking them not to vote for Andrew Jarecki's documentary Capturing The Friedmans. "If this film does win an Oscar, it will be won at the expense of silencing the plaintive voices of abused children once again," the two men, now in their 20s, wrote in a letter that was sent to the Associated Press. Jarecki, the founder of MovieFone, personally financed the movie, which has won numerous awards, including the documentary grand prize at last year's Sundance Film Festival. Critics of the film, who include Abbey Boklan, the judge in the case, and Joyanna Silberg, a child psychologist, have claimed that the film presents the erroneous impression that Jesse Friedman, now 34, and his father, who died in prison in 1995, were railroaded by authorities. Jarecki denies that Capturing the Friedmans is "an advocacy film."

Carrie & Co. On Screen?

I found these 2 items while surfing around. I don't know what to think about a movie. . . I'm not sure if it would transfer to that format well or not? Anyway, here is a brief bit about taking the girls to the silver screen.

#1. SEX AT THE MOVIES: Here's some good news for Sex and the City fans dreading Sunday's series finale: Carrie and Co. are already plotting their comeback. According to Variety, HBO is in the process of making deals with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall to reprise their signature roles on the big screen. Exec producer Michael Patrick King is currently at work on a script.

#2. 'Sex and the City' Heads to the Big Screen: Departing sitcom Sex And The City is to be resurrected - on the big screen. The Manhattan-based series - which is concluding in America on Sunday - will be given the Hollywood treatment by screen writer and executive producer Michael Patrick King, who is already drafting the script. And producers have already approached castmates Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristen Davis and Kim Cattrall about reprising their roles for one final time. Optimistic King is aiming to get a completed script in by May and has already requested to direct the movie. Meanwhile, production company HBO is pushing to get a greenlight for the film by the same deadline, reports website Empireonline. Parker, who also produces the show, says in a new magazine interview, "It is the last season - but doesn't mean it's the last you'll see of us."

WO-MAN!

In honor of my Muppets entry, I had to post a picture of my favorite Muppet. :)

Can You Picture That?

For those who grew up with The Muppet Show, the title of this entry should sound familiar. It's one of my favorite songs from The Muppet Movie and is performed by the great Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Today it was announced that Disney has acquired the rights to the Muppets. I'm not sure what to think about that. Here is what was posted on TV Guide's website about the deal.

MICKEY'S NEW FRIENDS: Is the Walt Disney Company big enough for Minnie Mouse and Miss Piggy? It better be now that Disney has acquired rights to the Muppets. In addition to Kermit and Co., the deal — announced late Tuesday by Disney and the Jim Henson Company — includes the entire Muppet film and television library as well as Bear in the Big Blue House. The pact doesn't, however, include Sesame Street characters such as Big Bird and Ernie. Those guys are owned by Sesame Workshop.

Biography Episode On The Oscars

This Sunday night A&E is airing a special episode of their series Biography and it will be about the Oscars. I read a review of the episode that said it was definitely worth checking out. Below is the episode description from A&E's website.

BIOGRAPHY®
Sunday, February 22 @ 8pm ET/PT Oscar
Produced in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, our 2-hour star-studded salute to the Academy Awards spans the history of the most important show business award, including its birth and design of the statue, past winners and losers, the Red Carpet, and behind-the-scenes ceremony footage. Features interviews with Mel Gibson, Ron Howard, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, and Nicole Kidman. Find out why stars share a love/hate relationship with that "Little Gold Man" Oscar!  TV G

The Man Who Didn't Kill Mozart

I loved the movie Amadeus so I was pleased to see the following article on cnn.com today.

CNN.com - Music of a man who didn't kill Mozart - Feb. 18, 2004

Take It Off, Baby!

Here's an article from CNN today about a new film that challenges the taboo against male full frontal nudity. Personally, the story is what does it for me so I guess you could say I'm a Playboy reader who actually DOES read it for the articles. LOL. At any rate, I thought this was interesting so I figured why not post it.

CNN.com - New film challenges full-frontal taboo - Feb. 16, 2004

Interview With Chris Noth

Here is an interview with Chris Noth. It was taken from the Insider section of TV Guide's website yesterday. Enjoy!

Chris Noth's Big Sex Secret
by Daniel R. Coleridge

Sex and the City has only one episode left! Will Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big soon be reunited and feelin' so good? "I've got a sniper pointing a gun at me," Chris Noth tells TV Guide Online. "I can't say anything!"

Mr. Big's wisecracking portrayer will allow this much: "I am in the last episode. We did shoot in Paris. I was there, and it was great. We shot three different endings — rare, medium rare and well done — so I don't know what's going to happen in the end."

If Carrie doesn't stay single, many fans hope she ends up with Big, instead of artist Aleksandr Petrovsky, who's played by ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov — aka the guy Sarah Jessica Parker has zero chemistry with. Asked what he thinks of the pairing, Noth is diplomatically quiet. "I can't really answer that," he says. "It's none of my business."

While he's flattered by all the attention he gets from Sex fans, he's clearly ready to leave HBO's hit girlie comedy behind. "You have to remember, I was in one episode of Season 5, so I've weaned myself off the show," he sighs. "Now, I'm back in a couple of this season's episodes, but the intense time of me doing Sex and the City was in the first four seasons. It's gratifying, but I'm pleased they've done what they've done and we're ending it."

Next up, Noth stars in tonight's darkly comedic TV movie, Bad Apple (9 pm/ET on TNT). It's about the FBI taking on the Mafia. "If you've seen the trailers, this might appear like another Donnie Brasco or Sopranos," he warns. "But in most FBI depictions, the agents are very tight-lipped, straight-laced, uptight and self-important. They're colorless and bloodless, and this is the opposite of that. We're more funny and real."

Though he's returning to his law enforcement roots, don't expect the Law & Order grad to sign on for another TV crime drama. He's been there, done that, and prefers the noncommittal life of a journeyman actor, moving from project to project. "But there's six novels in the Bad Apple book series [this film is based on]," he says, "so if this is successful, I hope to make a couple of these TV movies a year."

2/17/04 Sex & The City ALERT!

Wow! So Big finally decided to grow up, huh? Personally I think it has more to do with Carrie finally telling him to leave her alone. You know, the whole idea of what you can't have is what you want most? Regardless, those two are perfect for each other so we'll see what happens next week. Oh, and hats off to Samantha for not letting him get away with anything during his little mea culpa. I love that woman!

Oh, and a second hats off to TNT for running a Law & Order marathon today of early episodes with Lenny and Mike (aka: Mr. Big). It's interesting to see Chris Noth in those two roles. He does them both perfectly and his Law & Order send off remains one of my favorites.

Anyway, tomorrow's episode of Oprah will have the cast of Sex & The City saying goodbye. That's tomorrow 2/17/04 on CBS. If you're in the central time zone it will be at 4pm. Here's the information from Oprah's site. . .

The Cast of Sex and the City Says Goodbye (PG)
We're raising our cosmos for a goodbye toast to Sex and the City! Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis in their only farewell interview together.

. . . If that's not enough for you, the current issue of In Touch Weekly (with the Olson twins on the cover) has a lot on Sex & The City as well. Check out pages 42-55.

Tarantino Alert!

If you're a Quentin Tarantino fan you might want to check out Alias tonight. He is making a guest appearance on the show along with Vivica A. Fox. If you don't watch Alias, you should! I've watched it since the very beginning and it's a great, well-written show.

Peter Jackson

A lot of people are familiar with Peter Jackson due to the brilliant Lord Of The Rings movies, but I've liked Peter Jackson ever since seeing his great movie Heavenly Creatures. One Valentine's Day I gave Jeff a copy of Bad Taste. It's not my kind of movie, but it's Peter Jackson and hell, that's my idea of romance. ;) I have also really enjoyed The Frightener's, especially due to Jeffrey Combs' performance. Here is an article from CNN on Peter Jackson.

CNN.com - Filmmaker Jackson bound to have big award year - Feb. 12, 2004

Last Night On ER

The following appeared on TV Guide's website. . .

But the weirdest moment of this better-than-average episode centering on the aftermath of a deadly accident involving a Hummer came during a commercial break, when an ad for said luxury vehicle aired singing its praises. Coincidence? I think not. More like damage control, if you ask me.

. . . I didn't even catch that, but I totally agree! Oh, and thank god Carter shaved!

Changes Promise To Bring An Interesting Oscar Race

My mother asked me why the Oscars were airing in February instead of March this year and I completely blanked on why. I searched around to find out and came across this article. To quickly answer, the reason given is to cut down on campaigning. For a more elaborate answer, read the article.

HoustonChronicle.com - Changes promise to bring an interesting Oscar race

London Film Critic's Circle Awards

Here is an article on the London Film Critic's Awards.

CNN.com - 'Master' beats 'Rings' in UK awards - Feb. 12, 2004

5 Second Delay At Oscars PT 2

Here's another article on the 5 second delay that will be done during this year's Oscar telecast.

CNN.com - Planners: 5-second delay won't hurt Oscar - Feb. 11, 2004

5 Second Delay At The Oscars

Personally, I prefer the Oscars to be about celebrating movies, but it is good to know that we live in a country where people are free to express their political opinions at them. This is from today's Internet Movie Database website as well.

Oscar Bosses Promise Not To Cut Political Remarks
Oscar producer Joe Roth has promised nominees the planned five-second delay in the telecast will not be used to cull any controversial political remarks. The America's Sweethearts director has been forced to implement a delay between the live ceremony and the broadcast following Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's breast-baring Super Bowl performance on February 1. But Roth insists any repeat of Michael Moore's anti-war speech last year would not be left on the cutting room floor. He says, "At the nominees luncheon yesterday, I spoke with the nominees and just said that, when they come up, they're all under this microscope, unfortunately, because of these events a couple weeks ago. But it only applies to the use of profanity or nudity."

The Simpsons Hit The Silver Screen

This is also from today's Internet Movie Database website. I first heard about it yesterday on TV Guide's website. That blog said that they've been planning to do a movie since Season 2, but are just now actually doing it. Talk about procrastination! Makes me feel a lot better for taking a week to write reviews! :)

'The Simpsons' May Hit the Silver Screen
Production bosses are finally bringing The Simpsons to the big screen after years of trying - but they're refusing to divulge any details about the project. According to creator and writer James L Brooks, an idea has been accepted which will see the family from the hit TV series - Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie - hit the big screen in the next few years. But As Good As It Gets director Brooks is keen to keep the project under wraps, because it's only in its infant stage. He says, "We've got a very good and interesting idea, and it's different from the show. You know, it's like the South Park movie where it's just a bigger, longer, amplified version of the show. I can't tell you anything specific about it. My wife doesn't even know the secret." Fellow writer Mike Reiss adds, "It's been 13 years of wanting to do The Simpsons movie. Finally Fox said, 'Let's just do it!' We never had the greatest idea that was compelling but Fox said, 'Maybe if we start paying you, you'll get inspired.' And sure enough, it worked!"

Jude Law says give Penn the Oscar

This was on today's Internet Movie Database website. . .

Law: Give Penn the Oscar, Not Me
British actor Jude Law is appealing to the Academy Of Motion Arts And Sciences to award Sean Penn the Best Actor Oscar this year. Law is nominated in the same category as Penn, for his performance in romantic civil war epic Cold Mountain - but he is happy to stand aside, if the Mystic River star can pick up his first Academy Award. Law says, "I'm immensely proud to be in the category I'm in. There are actors in that category who I have been inspired by from a very, very young age - and to be amongst them is extraordinary. I've always loved Sean Penn's work. He's someone I've respected and looked up to and admired for years and years and years, and I think it should be his year."

London Film Critics

This was taken from TV Guide's website today. . .

LORDY!: In a bit of an upset, the London Film Critics named Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World — and not the latest Lord of the Rings flick — the best picture of the year on Wednesday.

Today's horror pales in comparison to sickest movies scenes of all time

Okay, I'll admit, anything gross and I turn away. I like horror movies like The Changeling and not like Friday The 13th: Part Whatever Number They're At Now. Despite that, I thought some of you might be interested in this article that first appeared around Halloween 2003 in the U-San Bernardino County Sun.

Gross points
Today's horror pales in comparison to sickest movies scenes of all time

By Glenn Whipp
Film Writer

Thursday, October 30, 2003 - The recent spate of horror movies - "Cabin Fever," "House of the Dead," "Underworld," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - have been doing their darndest to try to scare us or, at the very least, gross us out. They've failed miserably - not that teenagers seem to care. But you'd think among the lot of them they could have produced one true moment of revulsion, but the best any of them could do was ape the greats of the past.

Fortunately for true believers, a new print of Ridley Scott's "Alien" arrived Wednesday, a potent reminder of how much fun a great horror film can be. And while the movie has a myriad of superlative scenes, the one that sticks in everyone's mind occurs just as everyone is sitting down to dinner and an unwanted guest makes a surprise appearance.

Which got me to thinking: What are the other great stomach-churning movie
moments, scenes that make you want to turn away and head for the exit? (To
clarify, I'm defining "stomach-churning" in the more gruesome sense, not, say, having to sit through a recent John Travolta movie.)

So, in the spirit of Halloween, I came up with a list of 20 - obviously a subjective one - scenes that make me want to chew a roll of antacids. Needless to say, if you're reading this while eating, you might want to finish your meal first.

The Andalusian Dog (1928) Put Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali together and you know you're in for a freak show, and this plotless series of surrealistic images doesn't disappoint. The movie contains the earliest - and probably most horrifying - stomach churner: a man slicing a woman's eye with a razor. A willful (and cheerful) exercise in alienation, it remains one of the most shocking images in film history - a real eye opener.

The Birds (1963) As a child, I thought birds were my friends. You know, Jonathan Livingston Seagull and all that. Then I saw that farmer with his eyes pecked out in this Hitchcock flick of nature gone wild, and the next morning I was asking my dad to chop down the trees in the back yard.

Rosemary's Baby (1968) A child is born ... and it's the spawn of Satan. Still, what's a mother to do but nurse the little darling, as Mia Farrow did in this Roman Polanski chiller.

Deliverance (1972) Ned Beatty, playing a city businessman, squeals like a pig as he's abused by vengeful Appalachian mountain men, and I can still hear that godawful cry sometimes. You know what gets it out of my head? "Dueling Banjos." (But how do I get !ital!that!off! out of my head?)

Pink Flamingos (1972) There's all sorts of "fun" here - castration, bestiality, cannibalism - much of it really happening, but the scene everyone remembers comes when transvestite Divine eats dog waste. Billed as the "most disgusting picture of all time," and, for once, the truth matched the hype.

The Exorcist (1973) The head on the girl goes round and round, round and round, round and round. The head on the girl goes round and round and pea
soup gushes forth! (And, for the intellectually curious, that really is pea soup. How that Andersen's place in Buellton stayed in business after this, I'll never know.)

Jaws (1975) Sure, there's the skinny dipper's severed hand and Ben Gardner's head floating out of his boat, but the real stomach-churner is watching Capt. Quint (Robert Shaw) being bitten in half and that shark's eyes, those "lifeless eyes, black eyes" rolling over white and you hear his terrible high-pitched screaming and the ocean turns red.

Eraserhead (1976) Remember the "Seinfeld" episode? "You've got to see the
ba-by! When are you coming to see the ba-by?" And Seinfeld comes over, looks in the crib and ... my God! Well, that kid has nothing on David Lynch's newborn in "Eraserhead." Hope they registered for a lifetime of therapy.

Marathon Man (1976) An obvious choice, not so much for what we see, but for
what we hear, that horrible whirring drill as it grinds against Dustin Hoffman's teeth as Laurence Olivier's Szell - a Nazi war criminal on the lam - keeps asking if it's "safe." Legend has it that director John Schlesinger shortened the scene after test audiences started streaming to the exits.

1900 (1976) While some may choose the Marlon Brando sex scenes in "Last
Tango in Paris," Bernardo Bertolucci's greatest stomach-churning achievement came when peasants revolt and pelt an evil fascist (played bravely by Donald Sutherland) with horse manure. What tips the scales is the shot (and, readers, really, I've got to warn you here) of the angry man prodding his horse to produce a fresh batch, which is then shoved with gusto in Sutherland's face.

Scanners (1981) It's hard to pick just one moment from a David Cronenberg
movie for a list like this. Let's face it: We could fill all 20 slots here from the Cronenberg oeuvre, from Jeremy Irons' gynecological exploits in "Dead Ringers" to Rosanna Arquette's leg- brace-fetish sex scene in "Crash." But we'll go with the, um, most mind-blowing Cronenberg moment when a bad psychic makes a lesser's head go ka-blooey in "Scanners," which was very cool if you were, like, 16, at the time.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983) Clearing attempting to wrest the title of "most disgusting picture of all time" away from John Waters, the Python troupe goes for broke here with "live" organ transplants and a song about sperm. The topper, of course, comes courtesy of the portly Mr. Creosote, who, while consuming a four-course meal, eats and vomits, eats and vomits (you get the idea) until he explodes when eating the after-dinner mint. I know people who watch this right before beginning a diet.

Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch movies always punch us in the gut. Here it's the scene where Dennis Hopper's Frank Booth comes home, inhales narcotic gas and sexually abuses Isabella Rossellini while Kyle MacLachlan watches in the closet. Even for the Lynch mob, this one's tough to stomach.

Misery (1990) Kathy Bates does what any No. 1 fan would do to an unappreciative dirty-bird writer - she picks up a sledgehammer, takes a Reggie Jackson swing and shatters James Caan's ankle into a thousand little pieces.

Silence of the Lambs (1991) The two sequels have certainly dulled the impact of Hannibal Lecter's debut, but the scene of Lecter's escape - he impersonates a guard by killing him, skinning his face and using it as a mask - remains undiluted. Gruesome.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) Again, time and kitsch have somewhat lessened the grisly horror of Quentin Tarantino's jaunty little torture scene, which is made completely surreal through the use of the Stealers Wheel song "Stuck in the Middle With You." Nobody who saw the movie has listened to Gerry Rafferty the same way since.

Dead Alive (1993) Before he made the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Peter Jackson was something of a cult figure in horror circles. In this breakneck splatter flick, the film's hero defeats a room full of zombies by grabbing a lawn mower and slicing and dicing the undead, coating the walls with red and green zombie blood in a collage that Jackson Pollack would have envied.

Se7en (1995) David Fincher's relentlessly assaultive movie in which a serial killer dispatches his victims in a grotesque version of their particular "deadly sin" is a veritable stomach-turning smorgasbord. Since we've already covered gluttony with "The Meaning of Life," we'll take the sloth scene for, if no other reason, its sick shock value.

Trainspotting (1995) For those searching for a lesson in a movie that doesn't offer one, perhaps it's this: Never leave something valuable in the "filthiest toilet in Scotland." It can only lead to desperate measures.

Pay It Forward (2000) Haley Joel Osment dies in slow motion from every conceivable angle. We're supposed to weep, but Mimi Leder's movie is so crassly manipulative that we run to the bathroom (even the filthiest toilet in Scotland will do) instead.

Stephen King's "It" tops scary TV poll

This wouldn't be my top pick, but I did find Tim Curry's Pennywise to be really damn frightening. Then again, clowns are REALLY not my thing.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | TV and Radio | Stephen King's It tops scary poll

Let the Movie Year Begin, Finally

Here's a little preview of the films coming out this year.

CNN.com - Let the movie year begin, finally - Jan. 31, 2004

The Danger of Remakes

I am usually not a fan of remade films. I thought The Ring was a vast improvement on it's original-Ringu. Recently, I read that Tom Cruise bought the rights to The Eye so I rented its original version and really liked it. I definitely recommend everyone else to do the same. Here is an article from CNN on remakes.

CNN.com - The dangers of remakes - Jan. 16, 2004

The Importance Of Being Gollum

I loved Gollum long before the Lord of the Rings movies came out, but it was even more amazing to see how those movies portrayed him. He's definitely my favorite Lord of the Rings character!

CNN.com - The importance of being Gollum - Jan. 21, 2004

Exhibit catches Marilyn off-guard

Here is an article from CNN about a new exhibit of Marilyn Monroe photographs. As a child, she was probably the first film star I was really interested in. It would be great to see this exhibit!

CNN.com - Exhibit catches Marilyn off-guard - Feb. 2, 2004

Sundance Awards Reinforce Independence

I tend to lean towards independent films when I'm making up lists of movies I want to see. Here is an article that appeared on CNN's website about the Sundance Awards this year. I really need to go to Sundance soon.

CNN.com - Sundance awards reinforce independence - Jan. 25, 2004

1st MovieFest

Well this past Saturday we tested out Stu's idea of a movie night/day and I felt it was a great success. Thanks so much to Jay for letting all of us use his house for it! Speaking for myself, I'm definitely looking forward to the next one. It was a great idea and a great time! Oh, and the movies we watched were Max and 28 Days Later. Reviews of both will be posted soon.

Hobbits Capture Key Hollywood Award

Here's an article on the phenomenal Lord Of The Rings.

CNN.com - Hobbits capture key Hollywood award - Feb. 8, 2004

Oscars & Independent Films

As we see every year mainstream movies seem to dominate the Oscars, thus causing numerous independent films to fall by the wayside. Consider the year 2001 and honestly try to tell me that Paul Cox's Innocence or the brilliant David Gordon Green's George Washington were not better films than Gladiator (the winner that year)? Thought not. Here is the link to an article MSNBC did on this year's Oscar nominees as well as independent films and the Oscar. Also, here is a link for the DVD rental service greencine.com. I personally use greencine and love them. Not only do they have a wide selection of documentary, horror, and art films, but they donate to film related charities. They're the perfect combination.

Sex & The City

I'll admit, it took me a while to get into this show. Carrie's character just grates on me so I didn't get into it until an episode when Samantha told off the infamous Mr. Big. Thanks to HBO Signature I was able to make up for lost time. At any rate, as we all know, this is the final season. I'm hearing there's a big uproar over "The Russian" and I can't really see why. He's just kind of there, but not detestable. Regardless, Carrie and Big are meant to be. . . even if it is in their own screwed up way. Oh, and how damn sweet is Smith Jared for the hair shaving thing?! The reason for all this rambling is here in an article on the show and the ending of taping.

Where's that TV show?!

Have you ever wondered if you can find a tv show you loved only to have the network cancel it? For me, it's Boomtown and Andy Richter Controls The Universe. I'm praying for a DVD release of both. In the meantime, here's an idea of what happens when your shows vanish.

Romania

CNN recently ran an article on filming the movie Cold Mountain in Romania and the draw to Romania due to the story of Dracula. Take a look!

Welcome To My Site

Hi everyone!
To begin, thank you for visiting my site. At the moment, I'm brand new at doing this sort of thing so I'll post as much as I can. My intention is to tell you what I think of movies I've seen. I don't claim to be a movie reviewer, but I'm always reading about and seeing movies so I figured I'd give this a shot. Currently, I'm back in college full time to finish up my last few years--in other words I'm a poor, broke, starving college student living off student loans--and it's all Roger Ebert's fault! Yes, that's right, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times and Ebert & Roeper At The Movies. Two years ago I went to Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival and it literally became a life altering experience. I had been toying with the idea of quitting my full-time, steady income, job to return to college. I was so inspired by the movies we saw that weekend that I got up the nerve to mention this little idea of turning my life upside down to the person with me--my boyfriend Jeff. He definitely thought it was a great idea and encouraged me to fall on my sword and seek financial help from my parents and the university so that I could do so. Flash forward to today and I'm attending school at Northern Illinois University as a Communications Major with a Media Studies emphasis. . . and numerous academic honors (Phi Kappa Phi, University Honors Program, Golden Key National Honor Society, etc). I am also creating this site under the advisement of Professor Matt Swan, who I thank enormously for taking on the extra work and time, and Jeff Swanson who I thank for helping me get this site going and the time he is putting into it. I will review movies as I have the time to watch them and the accessibility to them. Check back here frequently to read about my most recent viewings and feel free to comment as you'd like. Thanks everyone!

Kathy